Bill introduced in aftermath of crash that killed baseball players

WASHINGTON — A bill introduced in the aftermath of a 2007 bus crash that killed five members of an Ohio University baseball team has cleared the U.S. Senate.

The motor coach crashed on Interstate 75 in Atlanta. Five members of the of Bluffton University's baseball team were killed, along with the driver and his wife. Investigators said the bus driver thought he was getting on an HOV lane when he drove onto an elevated exit ramp, plowing through a stop sign at highway speed and hurtling from an overpass onto the interstate below. Investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board said confusing highway signs, driver error and a lack of passenger safety features were to blame.

The new bill, introduced by two senators from Ohio and Texas, would increase safety requirements for motorcoach drivers and companies. The bill would require safety belts and stronger seating systems to protect occupants of such buses, revamp driver training, and require anti-ejection glazing windows to prevent passengers from being thrown out of a motorcoach.

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WSBTV